


Moving On

by Karinakamichi



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alphonse Elric loves cats, Alphonse is 16 bodywise, Anxiety, Dark, Depression, Edward secretly loves cats, F/M, Forgive Me, Guilt, Hypoglycemia, I'm going to try my best to keep away from political topics tho to avoid offending people, Is it really alwrath and edling?, Izumi is a doctor in this world, Ling has slightly different views on royalty for plot reasons, Ling likes his freedom, M/M, Please Don't Hate Me, Post CoS, Post Conqueror of Shamballa, Post-Canon, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Wrath Loves cats, also I'm thinking of having wrath's counterpart as adopted by izumi's, also i know people dislike this hughes, and it will add to counterparts not being the exact same as the originals, author regrets everything, bc of getting regressed, because it'll help contribute to my plot, but i have to include him, but like, edward is 21, everybody loves cats, except dogs, he becomes really nice, i don't have proper knowledge to discuss such things anyway, i feel weird calling it that since they aren't the "true" wrath and Ling, i hope i don't recieve hate for writing this, i just wanted a post cos story, i spent over an hour trying to properly tag this, idk - Freeform, ling has hypoglycemia, pls forgive me, possibly more alternates, post!cos, wrath is 18, wrath is a prick at first but he's not bad i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 19:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21343816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karinakamichi/pseuds/Karinakamichi
Summary: It’s been three years since ending up separated from Amestris for good, and Edward hurt every day thinking about the life Alphonse could be living right now, the normal childhood that he had robbed him of. He never told him of the self-inflicted and angry slashes lying on his flesh arm beneath his sleeves or of the depression and suicidal urges he often felt or even of his nightmares, the fact that he would wake up in the middle of the night crying, or anything of the sort. Because for Alphonse, he had to be the big brother, he had to carry the weight of his own depression and guilt alone. That wasn’t Alphonse’s burden to bear. However, that doesn’t mean that Alphonse was oblivious or that he wouldn’t find out eventually, and maybe everything will begin to change when the brothers come across Izumi’s and Wrath’s counterparts in this world, and it gets even better when Edward meets some weird Chinese boy named Ling.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric/Wrath, Alphonse Elric/Wrath (Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)), Edward Elric/Ling Yao, past Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	Moving On

**If y'all think I should just call Izumi's counterpart "Izumi" rather than Doctor "Olberding", please let me know, and I will change it.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own FMA. **

**…**

It had been nearly three years since Edward and Alphonse had permanently closed the gate, three years since they had left everything they had once known behind to save Amestris, and neither of the Brothers could deny that they still missed their friends and home back in Resembool; that _nothing_ would ever truly be the same without Winry, Riza, Roy and all the others around. However, Edward was probably handling it the worst. Even when he tried to act tough and say he was fine, Alphonse could tell that he was lonely beneath it all.

Edward didn’t eat much anymore, and sometimes he wouldn’t sleep for days. Often, he didn’t even get out of bed unless Alphonse told him to. The younger brother saw the look of torment in his eyes when he thought nobody was looking; could hear his muffled cries at night when he thought nobody was listening, and bore witness to Edward tossing and turning in his bed due to terrible nightmares. He’d long since stopped asking him if he was okay, already knowing what his response would be. After all, Edward had never been one to rely on others or ask for help.

And yet, Alphonse could only keep hoping that some miracle would happen and perk him up. He couldn’t stand seeing him so depressed all the time. Of course, even though it was becoming tiresome. That wasn’t to say that Alphonse was becoming impatient. He would wait however long he had to, he knew stuff like this could take years to recover from. Hell, even he himself was having trouble moving on entirely, and he probably never would. There were so many people he had met on his journey alongside Edward that he just missed so much more than he could bare sometimes.

“Oh, yeah.” Edward muttered one morning after Alphonse managed to drag him out of bed. “Mr. Hughes said Gracia’s baby is expected to be born in a few weeks. He’s been going on about it non-stop.”

Hughes had confessed his feelings to Gracia shortly after they had closed the gate, before getting married to her about six months later. Thad been together ever since. Thinking about it and seeing them, seeing Hughes’ bragging about her… It always reminded them both of the Hughes from their world that had died back when they were still kids.

“He’s always showing off those pictures of his.” Alphonse mumbled. “Just like the Hughes in Amestris did.”

Edward was silent for a long moment before looking away. “He’s not the same person, Al…”

“I know, but he still reminds me of him sometimes…” Alphonse said in a low voice, fidgeting with his fingers. “I really miss them. I wonder how Winry’s doing…”

“Yeah…” Edward muttered, a downcast look on her face. “Knowing her, she’s probably become the best Automail Mechanic in Amestris by now. Hah, I’ll bet she even surpassed Mr. Dominic and Granny Pinako.”

“She was always pretty good at fixing things, even back when were kids.” Alphonse added.

“You got that right. Unlike us, she never even needed Alchemy…” Edward agreed.

“She’s a lot like Teacher in some ways… Still… if it hadn’t been for Alchemy, we wouldn’t have…” Alphonse murmured, unable to finish his sentence. But Edward knew what he wanted to say. That without Alchemy, they wouldn’t have transmuted their mother, they wouldn’t have had any reason to join the military, Izumi wouldn’t have lost her organs and died, and ultimately they wouldn’t have ended up here in this world separated from everybody they had known and loved.

“Well, it’s too late for regrets now.” Edward said rhetorically. Naturally, it wasn’t that he himself didn’t have regrets, he just didn’t want Alphonse to. After all it, it wasn’t Alphonse’s fault they’d wound up here, it was his. His fault that Alphonse would never be able to see Winry or any of the others anymore, his fault he lost Wrath, he’s fault that he had lived for years without a human body unable to eat or sleep(why should he himself have that luxury now?). Edward hurt every day thinking about the life Alphonse could be living right now, the normal childhood that he had robbed him of. He never told him of the self-inflicted and angry slashes lying on his flesh arm beneath his sleeves or of the depression and suicidal urges he often felt or even of his nightmares, the fact that he would wake up in the middle of the night crying, or anything of the sort. Because for Alphonse, he had to be the big brother, he had to carry the weight of his own depression and guilt alone. That wasn’t Alphonse’s burden to bear. 

So he forced himself to smile for his Brother after taking a sip of his coffee, before placing it back down on the surface of the table they were sitting at. “Say, Al, why don’t we go out today?”

“Wait, you mean it?” Alphonse asked, a little surprised. It wasn’t like Edward never left the house, but it just wasn’t often that Edward initiated the suggestion to go out anywhere.

“Mn-hm.” Edward nodded giving a small grin. “I probably need to stretch a bit anyway, and it wouldn’t hurt to get some eggs, since we were almost out of them, would it?”

“You’re right, brother. You need to get more exercise!” Alphonse scolded.

“What? I get plenty of exercise…!” Edward drawled.

“No, you don’t. You rarely ever go out anymore unless I’m making you!” Alphonse argued back.

“I-! …Whatever.” Edward cut himself off from continuing the argument. “You should probably get around to go out.”

Alphonse sighed a bit, before smiling. “Right.”

…

“Why does everything have to be so expensive here…?” Edward groaned, looking at the price of a bag of apples. “This would be so much easier if we were back in Amestris. I could just pay with the money I had stashed away from being in the military… Come to think of it, I wonder how the Colonel’s doing…”

“Brother…” Alphonse muttered, noticing the down cast look on Edward’s face.

“Well, there’s no use in getting depressed over it now. “ Edward quickly forced himself to recover so Alphonse wouldn’t worry. “Besides, he has the Lieutenant to look after him.”

“That’s true…”

“So, anyway, do you want to-“ Edward started to ask, when suddenly, somebody crashed into him, knocking him over, alongside the cartoon of eggs in his hand. Naturally, it spilled out, several off the eggs breaking and pouring out on the floor. “Dammit, watch where you’re going!”

Alphonse looked in the direction of the long haired boy who was currently running after what they realized was a black and white cat. The boy managed to catch up to the cat and picked it up.

“I’m so sorry about that. I hope he didn’t hurt you.” Another voice spoke up from behind them.

“No, we’re…” Edward trailed off into silence when he glanced up at the woman and saw that she almost looked like a splitting image of…

“Teacher…” Alphonse muttered, not going unheard by Edward. Fortunately, the woman was too focused on the boy to take note of what he had said.

“Aoya, get back over here and apologize!” she scolded.

“Why should I? It’s their fault for being in the way.” Aoya grumbled and looked away, holding the cat close to his chest.

“Now!” the woman raised her voice, showing that she wasn’t playing around.

Aoya jumped in response before glaring. “Fine. I’m _sorry_. Are you happy now?”

On closer inspection, it became apparent that the blue-eyed male was probably about eighteen. And it only took but a single glance at his face beneath his tousled hair for Alphonse and Edward to recognize him as Wrath’s probable counterpart. 

Alphonse immediately felt an overwhelming urge to burst into tears at seeing the familiar faces of the people he'd loved - the people who had died and left him. He'd felt that way when he first saw Hughes' counterpart as well. It never got any easier.

“Seriously, that cat has caused us nothing but trouble since we got it…” The woman behind them sighed, before looking back at the two brothers, holding out a hand to Edward. “I’ll buy you two a new cartoon of eggs to make up for the one he ruined. Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Edward nodded, before hissing a bit at sudden pain in his leg. Apparently, he had fallen a bit harder than he initially thought. His knee felt like it was going to be bruised and his hand was skinned pretty badly.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Alphonse was immediately by his side.

“It’s nothing.” Edward momentarily regained his composure. If only he had hit his automail knee. He could have handled that. “My knee is just hurting a bit is all. I should be fine in a few minutes.”

“I do own a clinic a few blocks down.” the woman offered. “It doesn’t look too bad, but I wouldn’t mind to patch you up if you’re okay with it. And besides, it would probably be best to wash off that hand of yours to avoid infection anyway.”

“No way, you really don’t have to do that! Al and I will be fine on our own.” Edward said nervously.

“Please, I insist. It’s the least I could do.” The woman replied. “And don’t worry about a charge. This one’s on me.” The woman smiled.

“Well, if you’re sure.” Edward scratched his arm sheepishly.

“So you’re a doctor?” Alphonse inquired, his curiosity peaked.

“Mn-hm. Although my husband is the one who runs the place. But I’m responsible for just about as much as he is.” The woman explained.

“Oh, I see… Is it very busy there?” Alphonse asked. "We wouldn't want to be any trouble for you."

“It's really no trouble at all, and, well, normally, we do have a rather large number of patients. We’re actually closed today, though, since it’s Sunday, but I’ll make a special exception just for you two.” The woman said.

“…What’s your name… If you don’t mind me asking?” Edward asked after a moment.

“It’s Izumi.” The woman answered, bringing a pained look to both Alphonse’s and Edward’s faces. Many of the counterparts they had met throughout their life in this world shared the same first name or a similar name as their other in Amestris, such as Alfons, the Hughes family and others. Some, like Maes, Gracia and Bradley looked exactly like their counterpart, while others like Noah only slightly resembled theirs. So it wasn’t anything new, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating for Edward.

Though, as a side note, this Izumi did at least appear to be more tan than the one they had known back in Amestris, and rather than dreadlocks, she just had her hair back in a pony tail. She was probably of Asian decent… But her voice… It was the same…

“But you can call me Doctor Olberding, if you’d prefer.” The woman suddenly interrupted their thoughts, seeming to sense their uneasiness.

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that.” Edward said sheepishly. “…Sorry… My name is Edward and this is my younger brother Alphonse.”

“It’s nice to meet you…” Alphonse said shyly.

“Likewise.” Doctor Olberding smiled.

“…Your cat is really cute.” Alphonse turned to Aoya, nervously changing the topic in an apparent attempt to break the tension.

“Well, you can’t have him.” Aoya said curtly after a moment of surprise.

“No, that wasn’t what I…” Alphonse scratched the back of his head, feeling his heart skip a beat at the other’s curt statement.

Olberding opened her mouth to speak, but before she could scold Aoya, Edward beat her to it. “Hey, he was only complimenting your cat. There’s no reason to be so rude to Al.”

Aoya briefly glared at him in response, before he turned his head away and began to walk past Olberding. “I’m going back home.”

“Don’t even think about it.” Olberding hissed, grabbing his arm to stop him. “You’re going to stay right here until you’ve cleaned up your mess.”

“But they should be the ones to clean it up. It’s their damn eggs in the first place.” Aoya muttered. However, after receiving a menacing gaze from Olberding, he caved.

“_Fine_….” He growled.

“Also, hand Anka to Alphonse, that way you won’t get egg yolk smeared on her fur.” Olberding said. “I’d rather not have to give her another bath if I can help it.”

“But-“

“No buts. Do what I said.”

Begrudgingly, Aoya handed his cat to Alphonse, whose eyes were gleaming in adoration for the small creature. Edward couldn’t help but smile a little at how happy Alphonse looked right then. Even though they were adults now, that part of Alphonse hadn’t changed in the slightest, and probably never would.

And even Edward himself couldn’t deny the warmth he felt rise in his own chest when he heard the small “mew” come from the cat.

…

**A/N: Better start to this story than none I suppose! T-T**

**I only started this story for FMA 03 Month and because I wanted to let out some depression. I don’t know how long this will last, but I hope this peaked somebody’s interest. Also, I know Aoya is super pissy at first, but he will become much nicer I promise.**


End file.
